Meet Mohammad Moiz Omar, Mississauga Mosque Attack Suspect

Mohammad Moiz Omar is a 24-year-old man who has been arrested for attacking attendees at a Mississauga Mosque at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre.

On Saturday, March 19, 2022, a man who is known to be Mohammed Moiz Omar entered the said mosque and was found wielding a hatchet and spraying bear spray at worshippers, injuring a handful.

Bear spray when sprayed directly into a person’s face can cause temporary blindness, nasal congestion, and breathing issues. Such a weapon is therefore dangerous to health and hence not acceptable to be used at such a place or anywhere else.

Some of the offenses Omar committed include possession of a weapon with the intent to cause harm or for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon, administering poisonous or harmful substances with the goal to threaten life, and clear threats that can cause bodily harm or death.

From what the police made known at a press conference after arriving at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Omar was arrested and is being held in custody until a bail hearing. According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the mosque incident is “very distressing”, and also many individuals find it confusing.

Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, advised the Muslim community in the area to “be calm and watchful in the coming days” because it is still “too early to speculate on the assailant’s specific objectives.”